Needless to say, we appreciate hand work. Of all the arts of the hand, whether in fine art or crafts, there is none as intimate and immediate as penmanship/calligraphy.

In our weaving, for instance, if we make a mistake we can usually--almost always--back out of it. Sometimes we lose material, always we lose time. But the end result is an object, a handwoven scarf, of top quality, the error completely erradicated.

It is not nearly the same with calligraphy or pen art. The mind directs the hand, the hand holds the pen, the line preserves the record. Ted Williams ranked hitting a fastball as the most difficult skill in all sport. Multiply that by, say, ten--and you have pen art. Such a quiet art, but the artist is always on the razor's edge. Check out the video.